Made In Champaign County

Susan Harbourt is an engineer by training, an artist by accident, and a self-taught metalsmith by choice. One fateful night, while Susan and her husband Chris were rewiring their old house, fate stepped in. The floor was littered with ninety year old spirals of copper wire. Susan picked up a few scraps and wove them into a bracelet. A spark was ignited! A passion was born in that very moment.

Now Susan loves to experiment with a variety of metals and materials to see where her hammer takes her. There is an unequaled satisfaction in experiencing the magic of transforming dismissive scraps of metal into amazing works of art. She primarily works in recycled sterling silver and reclaimed copper, making an array of rings, necklaces, bracelets, bookmarks, and sentimental gifts.

The name Servabo derives from the Latin servāre, meaning to watch over or keep guard. Servabo’s aim is to connect people with the assistance they need in emergency situations. In the US alone, a violent crime occurs every 26 seconds and it is estimated that 1 in 4 female college students will be the victim of sexual assault. Servabo Inc. came up with a better solution for contacting help in the event of a crime – and Shadow was born. Their technology enables you to instantly reach out to friends, family, and emergency assistance when it matters most so you will feel helpless. With smarter tech, they can create safer communities, safer campuses, and safer cities.

Product

Shadow, a unique personal safety device which provides discrete, one-click access to the powerful communication capabilities of your smartphone. Carrying this technology with you when you travel or go about your day-to-day activities gives you the peace of mind of having immediate and location-based assistance at your fingertips.

Founded in 2013, PhotoniCare has developed patented technology out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that will provide physicians with an unprecedented, non-invasive view inside the ear to more accurately screen and diagnose disease.

Product

PhotoniCare has developed an improved otoscope that will enable physicians to quickly and accurately diagnose middle ear infections during routine examinations. In contrast to the traditional otoscope, which hasn’t changed in over a century since its inception, the PhotoniCare CLEARVIEW™ allows the physician to look through the ear drum to directly observe and characterize effusions and biofilms responsible for infection in the middle ear. CLEARVIEW™ will dramatically improve diagnostic information without adding time, complexity, or significant cost to the routine patient exam. The improved accuracy will reduce provider costs and improve patient outcomes.

JELD-WEN is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of reliable windows and doors. The company was founded by Richard ”Dick” Wendt, an entrepreneur at heart, who learned the art of managing a manufacturing company under the tutelage of his father, Caradco executive Lester Wendt. In 1957, Iowa-based Caradco sent Dick to Oregon to help run the company’s millwork plant in Klamath Falls. Caradco decided to sell the plant at auction. Dick and four business partners, Larry Wetter, John Biehn, Gerry Wickersham, and Bill Taylor bought many of the assets on October 25, 1960 and named the new company JELD-WEN.

Products

Windows & Doors (Interior & Exterior)

Fun Facts

Today JELD-WEN employs approximately 20,000 people worldwide and has manufacturing and distribution locations across the United States and in more than 20 countries.

JELD-WEN began in 1960 as a small Oregon millwork plant with 15 employees.

JELD-WEN has been active in the communities where company operations exist. In 1969, the company began making contributions to the JELD-WEN Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance the communities where JELD-WEN employees live. In the U.S., the JELD-WEN Foundation contributes to the United Way, which provides college scholarships and grants for worthwhile community projects.

JELD-WEN’s secret to longer-lasting wood windows and doors is an exclusive manufacturing process that protects against wood rot, water saturation, and termites. This process is how they make AuraLast Wood.

IntelliWheels, Inc. is an innovation house for wheelchair technology. Growing from a true student startup, to an established company in just over three and a half years, IntelliWheels currently manufactures and distributes the Easy Push wheel (a geared manual wheelchair wheel that makes pushing a wheelchair twice as easy) nationwide. IntelliWheels, Inc. is focused on creating a company and products that promote independence for wheelchair users by developing new mobility options.

Fun Facts

Since incorporating in 2010, IntelliWheels, Inc. and its founders have won the following: 2011 Lemelson-MIT Award – $30,000 innovation award to Scott Daigle; 2012 Champaign County Innovation Celebration – Social Entrepreneurship Award; 2013 Woman of the Year from Central Illinois Business – awarded to Marissa Siebel; and 2013 International Gold Medal in the 800 meter from World Championship in Paralympic Track and Field – Josh George.

IntelliWheels has been published in trade publications HME for home medical providers, and in Inc. Magazine, June 2013.

They have successfully raised a series A round with majority of the funds from local venture funding/angel investors, as well as received a SBIR grant from the NIH.

They were selected as a panelist for the Startup Voodoo Conference in St. Louis on September 25, 2014.

Champaign County, home to the University of Illinois, features world-class technological resources and superb location and transportation benefits that make it a strategic hub for technology and industrial development.